Dozens of former Manus Island refugees are finally heading to the US, despite Trump's objections

Dozens of refugees detained by Australia are headed to the US as part of aresettlement deal with the US.

President Donald Trump has been critical of the deal in the past.

The refugee resettlements come as the full picture of immigration reform in the US remains in flux.

Dozens of refugees detained by Australia and held in the Manus Island detention center have been sent for resettlement in the US.

A group of around 40 refugees, predominantly single men, have left for New York, news outlet The Australian reported.Eighteen additional refugees are expected to fly to the US next month, according to aid groups.

More than 1,500 asylum-seekers still remain on the islands, according to The Australian.

The deal was originally agreed upon between the Obama and Turnbull administrations. President Donald Trump has been critical of the resettlement plan.

In a tweet last year, Trump said Obama had agreed to take in “thousands of illegal immigrants” and called it a “dumb deal.”

Trump expressed his displeasure with the deal in a phone conversation with Turnbull last year, according to phone transcripts obtained by The Washington Post. Trump said the US-Australia resettlement deal makes the US “look awfully bad.”

Australia officially shut down operations at Manus Island last October. Police stormed the center and forced asylum seekers and refugees to move elsewhere on the island in Papa New Guinea.

New Zealand has previously offered to take 150 refugees from Manus Island. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he would consider the offer after the US completed its refugee transfers.

Unresolved immigration reform in the US

The refugee resettlements come as the full picture of immigration reform in the US remains in flux.